Tweets & Twitter Stats 2010

As 2010 comes to a close, I realize just how much twitter has become a part of my everyday life. I rely on it for information, for a good laugh, to let out my pointless thoughts in hopes someone will read them and care, for inspiration, to agree with others, and most of all, to just feel connected to people around the globe. 

Top 4 People I Have Retweeted (keeping in mind I didn't know how to do that til later on in the year)

1. @SK6ERS, @JasonReeves

2. @BootsFactor  (#2?! yeah,  I know I was surprised as well)

3. @KyleRiabko

4. @sourjoy, @tyronewells, @joshritter

5. too many were tied

There are more I would have retweeted, but it's hard to restrain, I don't want my tweets taking over yours

Who Has @NatalieStruck The Most (since Oct. 15, it wouldn't let me go further than that)

1. @livemusicphotos

2. @mikeosats

3. @sourjoy

4. @andrew_doll

5. @terry_wagner

 Although I do no reply to all mentions, I do really enjoy being mentioned. It makes me feels special.

Top 10 People I Have Mentioned

1. @Boots Factor (by more than double #2) - super funny guy, musician, knowledge sharer

2. @SK6ERS - kick ass music and people

3. @malarycloke - keeping in mind we were only friends til April of this year

4. @sourjoy - what an amazing friend

5. @andrew_doll - my movie buddy/oldest friend on here

6. @hansonmusic - yeah, they still make music 

6. @mbakerphoto - killer photographer, funny tweeter, friend

7. @KyleRiabko - he's from Saskatoon! actor, musician, and just plain funny

8. @mikeosats - I work with this guy, ps. he is NOT actually my Uncle

9. @jasonreeves - romantic musician, 

9. @cousinskunk - super awesome tour manager for sk6ers, hilarious too

10. @tyronewells - talented musician, a real soul singer

Thank you @BootsFactor for not blocking me, I find you rather amusing, and can't help myself from replying. As for the rest of you, I just really love you and your tweets, and am not offended if you do not tweet back. I will try to tone this mentioning down just a tad in the new year.

Top 7 Things I Tweet About (other than my musical career www.nataliestruck.com)

1. food - it's not that I'm hungry, I just really love eating

2. movies - I just feel the need to express my opinions

3. sleeping - there's really no excuse to continually tweet about this, we all love it

4. Saskatchewan Roughriders (football team), 

4. Whiskey - yes I love whiskey, I am not an alcoholic though

5. weather - why wouldn't I discuss the weather, it's awful here about 6 months of the year

6. facial hair - yes it's true, I LOVE facial hair! mustaches, goatees, scruff...ahhh lovely

Favourites Tweets I Have Retweeted

@paulfeig Paul Feig

Just reunited a sock I left in New York months ago with its partner in LA. If that's not Pixar's next movie, then I don't know what is.

7 Nov via Twitter for iPad

@BootsFactor Boots Factor

God bless cold cuts.

5 Oct via Echofon

@MrTommyLand Tommy Lee

I'm sick of following my dreams I'm just going to ask them where they're goin and hook up with them later...

20 Jul via Twitter for BlackBerry®

@ZodiacFacts ZodiacFact

#ZodiacFacts Cancer is very physical. Expect sex with Cancer to be a fully encompassing sexual experience

29 Mar via Power Twitter

My Favourite Tweets by Me  (I'll start at the beginning)

you would think @malarycloke was staying here for the day....just washed 10 peanut butter knives I swear!

14 Feb

  - she is obsessed with peanut butter, but who isn't?

- web cams kinda freak me out. I mean you could be doing ANYTHING, and the other person can see you..I'm not the most ladylike person I know..

15 Feb

 

ps. why do I keep dreaming (this is like the 3rd time) that @BootsFactor has shaved his beard??? tell me this isn't true!

18 Feb

  - this was a nightmare really, I haven't seen him at all this year without it, thank goodness

Every time I watch a Michael Moore documentary, I learn lots about the States, if only someone would do a documentary that applies to me

20 Mar

  - it's true, I feel like I don't know anything about my country 

umm..is it really okay for your friend to wake you up at 2am to pick you up 'cause he couldn't get a cab??? I saw like 50 on the way there

11 Apr

 - why do I keep agreeing to do it?

I've been informed that this song is a "real panty dropper" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TJR_hTl30I&NR=1 (Ryan Adams)

26 Apr

  - this is how my American friend introduced me to Ryan Adams music

I totally would have gotten off that phone call a little sooner...but he was calling from the States, and he had the accent....

6 May

  - for those who don't know, yes I'm Canadian, and yes I really love my American friends

@BootsFactor I don't even know what "froyo" is?

9 Jun

  - frozen yogurt, now you and I know,"hocho" is hot chocolate

@AugustanaFans _'km realklky drunk rklight nbiw* vvut 7blo e uoiu guys!bn!

11 Jul

  - if you can decipher that, I'll give you a kiss 

Sooo.. A guy at work called me #gandalf says I possess powers to scare people

8 Sep

  - I just grabbed his shoulders and yelled something at him with big scary eyes 

Other people randomly eat spoonfuls of brown sugar too, right?

24 Sep

  - it's really rather good, as it turns out, my cousins eat it too

You know? I miss drinking straight whiskey with @BootsFactor

2 Oct

  - completely true, this has happened on two separate occasions, he has great taste. thanks for the generosity Boots!

@hansonmusic llama poop.. That brings back memories of being freshied at school and having it thrown on me

7 Oct

  - this is also true, super gross, and then they hosed us down at the local car wash. hello grade 9.

Me and brother-in-law selfishly rejoiced when everyone else went to bed and we had karaoke machine all to ourselves for 2 hours.

10 Oct

  - we both sang until we could sing no more

Just realized I was wearing my underwear inside out. Whoops

28 Oct

  - I really don't know why I'm re-posting this

My sister just left me with a bowl of chocolate bars. Apparently I'm supposed to give them away?

31 Oct

   - for those who know me, if you put chocolate anything in front of me, restraint is non-existent

Was going to tell you to eat at Famiglia Pizzeria if you are in #NYC. Then I read the napkin "NY Favorite Pizza"

28 Nov

  - it really was DELICIOUS

I don't want #movember to end. Please keep your mustaches, they are hot

30 Nov

  - it was a sad sad time

Drunken Cats & Jamaican Escort makes me wanna put it on repeat and grab a bottle of whiskey, and possibly dance around @BootsFactor

13 Dec

  - I wish I would've had a bottle of whiskey to actually do that

Someone came and took him away.. Hope it was the cops and not some gang leaders. He was screaming about his foot? #gonnabealongnight

17 Dec

  - lunatic loose in the apartment building, the ones who took him away weren't wearing uniforms

Not sure why... But I like it! @mikeosats Talking to @Nataliestruck makes me crave whisky."

20 Dec

Dreamt Zac @hansonmusic was a guy off Mortal Kombat in real life. Was my last opponent, tricked me with polyjuice. Woke before he killed me

30 Dec

  - very confusing dream

The guy in front of us smells disgusting.. Please see @mikeosats for what's going on..

27 Dec

  - at the movies. I even sprayed some air freshener happened to have in my purse 

Special thanks to @mbakerphoto otherwise known as Megan Baker for inspiring me to put this little Twitter extravaganza up. 

 You can check out her hilarious take on her own twitter   www.meganbaker.tmblr.com 

Here's to new tweets, new followers, new friends, and excessive tweeters like me. The new year promises much, of what? no one is certain @NatalieStruck

 

ps. eating a straight spoonful of peanut butter cures hiccups

The Gravel Road

The year is 2003 and it must be between May and September because there is no snow on the ground. I've just gotten ready for a night out and as usual I am the designated driver, as all my friends live out of town.

I am on my way to pick up a friend who lives about 15 minutes out of my tiny town of Lake Lenore. We are on our way to the even smaller village of Pilger, or maybe Middle Lake? I really don't remember exactly what we are going to do. I get in my parents 1989 Pontiac 6000 LE and head out. The air is clear and it's a little bit chilly. It's already dark, and a good song is on the radio, I am smiling to myself, it's going to be a great night.

As I travel down the freshly grated road, I come to an intersection where I can continue straight, or take the curve. I head straight and start to go down the Verndale Road. This road is full of high hills and beautiful scenery and in the daytime it's a pleasant drive. I'm concentrating on not catching the tires on gravel on the side, my mother has warned me numerous times about the dangerous consequences.

My friend is not too far down the road, maybe a couple clicks (kms). Since she lives in a different house now, I am driving slower so I don't miss the turn on this particularly dark night. The moment I get on this road my radio cuts out to fuzz, which is not unusual, this car is famous for that. I hit the dash hard, but to no avail. As I am a few feet from her long driveway which winds, is surrounded by trees, and the house is not visible from where I am, I see a ghost.

Time seems to stop and the radio is no longer fuzz, it is silent. My heart starts to beat rapidly. The ghost is a girl of about 14 or so, and is standing on the very edge of the right side of the road. There is a huge slough on that side. She is staring directly at me, her eyes are blue, her light blond hair is dripping wet. She is more transparent than solid. Her nightgown is old fashioned, from the 1970's or so and hangs softly on her slender frame in contrast to her wet hair. Her feet are bare and seem to hover just above the ground. Her stare is pleading but not unkind. I am frozen with fear and curiosity as she continues to look at me. I feel as though I am not really driving, I don't want to look away. In reality probably only 30 seconds have passed, but it feels a lot longer than that. I have to look away and when I look back she is gone. 

I turn onto my friend's driveway and speed up to the house. My heart is pounding, and I quickly relay the story. They do not seem too surprised, apparently there are all kinds of stories about that road as it is, although it is a little unsettling. We continued on our way with no further incidences, and when the time comes to drop her off I'm a little leery, nothing happens though.

The year is 2006, a friend and I are driving to Pilger, and we come to an intersection, you can go straight or take the curve. I have not been down that road since that night in '03. He's feeling adventurous, and I am glad I am driving because I declare that no, we are not exploring that road. He harasses me about it, after all it's broad daylight, and he is genuinely interested in this lovely road that he's never been down. We have time, and for a split second I consider it. I refuse and without looking too far down it, I take the curve, nervously thinking of that pretty girl who is still pleading for help by a slough on the side of a gravel road. 

The Lost Ipod

Monday morning I woke up reluctantly to go to work after an incredible weekend in New York City. The song I woke up to was a good one I'm sure, as I never wake up to a song I don't feel like hearing. Ipod dock is greatness. I probably listened to a song or two before climbing out of bed. 

Gladly I cranked my ipod in my car in the way to work. The rest of the day was uneventful and a little tiresome as only a day starting out on 4 hours of sleep can be. My body was still adjusting to having to deal with snow and cold all over again. I've decided I'm the kind of girl that would have no problem living without snow, except for maybe a bit for the month of December. I welcomed the end of the work day and got in the car, plugging my ipod nano in cheerfully. On that 20 minute drive home I listened to a variety of songs; shuffle is the best invention ever.

Upon arriving at home I unplugged my phone from the charger and was pretty sure I unplugged my ipod as well, put them both in my jacket pocket as usual and went inside. As I was getting ready for bed that night, I went to put the ipod on the dock to set the alarm. What happened? I couldn't find it! Disaster! It was NOT in my jacket pocket, or on my messy desk, nor was it hidden underneath the chaotic pile of stuff I created while haphazardly unpacking from my trip. Oh well, I thought, possibly I had left it in the car overnight. A little disgruntled, I set my phone alarm instead.

When I got in my car in the morning, there was no ipod, and when it still didn't magically appear after work that day, panic started to ensue. This was my IPOD, my pride and joy, my friend through everything, my companion on long flights and airport waits, long drives, helping me through long nights. It had been there while I was getting ready to go out for the night, enhanced the mood while cleaning, while cooking, while visiting. I had gotten it for my 24th birthday last year, and it was a big step up from my ipod shuffle. On the nano I could actually see the songs I was listening to and pick them as well. This shiny blue little piece of technology was a familiar source of daily comfort.

I looked into getting the newest version. Did you know that it's touch screen? EVERYTHING is these days; lovely. I don't want to look at it as I'm hitting "next" on it, I just want the feel of a button, buttons are good. The volume control is now a button on there, which I am happy about. The new ipod nano also clips onto your clothing just like the shuffle, yet another bonus. It's not my ipod though: replacing such an object is sad. 

I've accepted that my beloved ipod nano probably fell out of my car that fateful Monday after work and some lucky person picked it up on their way home from school. At least I am comforted by the fact that someone is now enjoying about 1000 kick ass songs, many of which they probably haven't heard of, including my own songs. They can now experience the greatness of Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers, Hanson, Augustana, Green River Ordinance, Josh Ritter, Brandi Carlile, Trevor Jackson, Wideawake, Boots Factor, Serena Ryder, Kyle Riabko, Jason Reeves, Justin Nozuka, Ryan Adams, Sara Haze, John Prine, Mariana's Trench, Theory of a Deadman, Matt Nathanson, Matt Hires, Tyrone Wells, Will Hoge, Matthew Good, Wide Mouth Mason, and many other artists. Wow, this person better realize what a gold mine they have stumbled upon here, hope they didn't hit restore.

My ipod dock now sits empty, lonely and rejected in my bedroom, unplayed and unloved. My shuffle misses her sister. My cd player in my car is happy though, welcoming in albums like Part Or Execution by Boots Factor, The Morning Passengers EP by Green River Ordinance, Glassjaw Boxer by Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers, Stripped by Christina Aguilera, Spice World by Spice Girls, wait scratch that last one, haven't gotten to that one yet. My headphones are lonely as well, craving more music than the shuffle can offer. Goodbye ipod nano, you are missed more than you know.

Living With Ants

I moved into my apartment back in July expecting your average, not quite rundown one-bedroom suite. On the surface, that's exactly what I got. I noticed an ant here and there crawling around, but nothing too major. I cleaned the place top to bottom and started working a lot.

As the weeks wore on and I started being at home a bit more I noticed them more and more. What you should understand is that these are not big black ants but rather tiny red ants that are pretty much harmless. I knew that this was maybe more than a small problem when I happened to miss cleaning up a small leaf of lettuce on the kitchen counter. I came home from work and it was COVERED in ants. I killed them all and disposed of them, hoping I wouldn't run into that problem again! Unfortunately it only got worse. 

I started noticing them crawling on the walls and in the sink in the bathroom. I saw them crawling across my computer screen and without feeling any remorse I would squish each one with my finger, having a strange sense of satisfaction after each time. They thankfully weren't anywhere in my bedroom, and seemed to leave alone any other food that I happened to have out while making supper. 

I finally got frustrated when I went to do the dishes one day and hadn't turned the tap on for a few days. Ants started spilling out around the water tap! The kept coming and coming, and I kept killing and killing, until finally I could actually start the dishes. Ants are the worst when I go to take out the garbage, especially if there is lettuce in there! I gladly carry them out to the disposal bin and give myself a victory point.

What I have noticed recently is that they like my water glass. I have to check and double check that there are no ants in there when I go to drink. They bunch up in a clump right in the middle of the glass. Did they not see  their friends die that way too? I supposed they went to help out. 

I have learned to live with these little creatures. I almost think they are cute and comforting. The ants are always there for a laugh, or for a task to take care of.  I know not where they come from, but I believe they are here to stay.  Since they have not harmed me, I can live with squishing them one by one til I actually convince myself that they will eventually one day disappear.

Typical Saskatchewan Winter Adventure

I was happily walking along with my sister and nephew after we had just watched Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, happy the Saskatchewan Roughriders were on their way to the Grey Cup and thinking, well nothing can spoil this mood.

I had parked my car in an angled spot on the side street and it had been warming up for a good ten minutes in the -24C weather. I swept if off and silently cursed myself for forgetting my mitts, but oh well, I would be warm soon enough. I got inside and my hands were shaking so bad I could hardly put the key in the ignition. I plugged in my ipod and cranked up Augustana's "Sweet and Low" and put the car in reverse. I carefully checked behind me, and knowing that spots are often icy, I slowly attempted to ease out. My tires started spinning. Lovely. I chuckled and rocked the car a little to help it out, but the tires continued to spin and spin. I gained a couple inches and had the car rocking pretty hard back and forth but could get no further.

I got a little panicky and almost forgot to check if cars were coming, and had to slam on the brakes when I did see one. I was probably not out all that far, but it was getting a little ridiculous. I did what most people would do in this situation: I called my sister, hoping that she had not yet left the parking lot across the street, and praying that she would come push me out. Luckily no, she had not left yet and was actually laughing at me from afar. She could see my car sending up exhaust like crazy and she and my nephew were having a hard time containing themselves. I laughed on the phone along with her and almost had tears rolling down my cheeks by the hilarity of it all. That went on for almost 5 minutes as I tried to get out, to no avail.

I happened to look to my left and there was suddenly a guy standing there dressed head to toe in winter gear. I jumped a little and hurriedly hit end on my phone and dropped it in the process. This guy was about my age and looked non threatening, so I opened the door as George's "Lie To Me" started up loudly on my speakers. I quickly turned it down and he told me he wanted to push me out. I happily obliged, and after a few minutes of pushing and rocking I was out and yelled a thank you so much at him. I felt my heart swell with a little pride, that yes, people are still willing to help people out in those situations.

I started to head home and could picture in my head my sister and nephew laughing in their car with tears rolling down their cheeks. I started laughing myself and turning my ipod back up, I hear Christina Aguilera's "Not Myself Tonight". I sang along with it between chuckles all the way. When I pulled into my parking spot at the apartment, I sent my sister a message which informed her: okay THAT was HILARIOUS! She responded: Oh yeah, we are still laughing at you!

As I said earlier: nothing could spoil the good mood.